Water gate



T. F. FERGUSON.

WATER GATE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 8. 1920.

Patented May 16, 1922.

STTE

THOMAS F. FERGUSON, OF HOLLYWOOD, ALABAMA.

WATER earn.

Application filed June 8,

To all w 7mm it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS F. FERGUSON, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Hollywood, in the county of Jackson and State of Alabama, have invented new and useful Improvements in Water Gates, of which the following is a specification.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and eflicient construction of water or flood gate designed for use in connection with streams, irrigation ditches and the like on the lines of fences designed to prevent the passage of stock from one pasture to another while permitting free passage of water and floating objects carried thereby in the event of high water or freshet to avoid damage to the structure, and with these objects in view the invention consists in a construction and combination of parts of which a preferred embodiment is shown in the drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevation of the improved gate.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the same.

Figure 3 is a detail in perspective of the mounting or supporting element of the gate in a detached relation.

The gate is preferably provided with a sill or foundation 10 of masonry or cement from which rise uprights 11 which, while preferably of cement or concrete, obviously may be of timber suitably creosoted or otherwise treated to render it impervious to and proof against deterioration by moisture, said uprights or posts being hollow to provide inwardly open cavities 12 in which at their lower ends are located the foot blocks 13 adapted to serve as floats and preferably consisting of wood or like buoyant material suitably creosoted or otherwise treated, the standards upon which the gate proper shown at 15 is fulcrumed being stepped at their lower ends in said foot blocks as by provid ing said standards at their lower extremities with pins or extensions 16 for engagement with sockets 17 in the blocks. These standards let are preferably of metal and are provided with bearing openings 18 for the reception of bearing pins 19 on the extremities of the cross bar 20 of the gate proper. The foot blocks 13 are slidable in the uprights 11 and therefore operate, through the medium of the standards to raise and lower the gate Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 16, 1922.

Serial No. 387,397.

correspondingly with the rise and fall in the level of the water.

Supported by the base or sill 10 in the path of the lower free edge of the gate proper, the latter being mounted for swinging movement by reason of the engagement of the pins 19 with the bearings 18, are stops 21 which normally limit the movement of the bottom of the gate in the direction of movement of the water in the stream or ditch as it follows the path indicated by the arrows in Figure 2. In the event however that the water should rise considerably above the normal level in the stream or ditch, with the usual possibility or certainty of carrying driftwood which would have a damaging ef fect upon the gate if the latter were held against free swinging movement, the foot blocks are adapted to raise the gate by reason of their buoyancy until the lower edge of the latter is free to pass under the stops 21 thus swinging clear as indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 2. Any driftwood carried by the water may then pass free under the gate until such time as the level of the water permits the lowering of the float blocks.

It will also be obvious that the mounting of the gate by means of the standards 1% of which the upper ends are accessible from the tops of the posts or uprights 11, enables the gate readily to be dismounted and removed for repair or in the event that it is desired temporarily to leave the stream or ditch unobstructed for any purpose, while the return of the same to its operative position may be as conveniently effected merely by introducing the standards into the cavities of the posts or standards and engaging the lower extremities thereof with the foot blocks.

\Vhat is claimed is:

1. A water gate having posts or uprights, buoyant foot blocks guided by the posts or uprights, means for swingingly supporting the gate at its upper end from the buoyant blocks, and means for limiting the swinging movement of the gate proper when the foot blocks are in their normal positions.

2. A water gate having a sill or base, up- 1 rights or posts rising from the sill, buoyant foot blocks mounted for vertical movement upon the uprights or posts, gate standards carried by the foot blocks, a gate proper pivotally connected with the standards for swinging movement at its lower edge, and stops for limiting the swinging movement of the gate proper when the foot blocks are in their normal positions.

3. A water gate having side uprights or posts buoyant foot blocks mounted for ver tieal movement upon said uprights or posts, standards detaehably stepped at their lower ends in said blocks and provided with bear- 10 ing openings, a gate proper provided with terminal bearing pins for engagement with said bearing openings and free for swinging movement at its lower edge, and means for limiting the swinging movement of the gate proper with relation to the plane of said uprights or posts.

' In testimony whereof he aflixes his signature.

THOMAS F. FERGUSON. 

